This invention relates generally to blood-pressure cuffs of sphygmomanometers and more particularly to devices which can be used to prevent such cuffs from becoming contaminated and/or from contaminating patients.
Studies have shown that significant bacterial colonizations occurs on surfaces of non-disposable sphygmomanometer cuffs as well as on reused disposable cuffs. Such studies have indicated that medical staffs employing such cuffs, including nursing professionals, almost never routinely clean them between patients and few regard such cuffs as being possible sources of infection. Only clean, non-used, disposable cuffs were shown to have insignificant colonization rates during one such study. Thus, it has been recommended that, where possible, a sterilized cuff, or an unused disposable cuff, be dedicated to each patient upon arrival at a hospital and that the cuff follow the patient around in the hospital. A difficulty with this solution is that it is an administrative problem to maintain a cuff in association with each patient. Also, if a blood-pressure cuff is dedicated to each patient, an unduly large number of cuffs is required, which is expensive. Although disposable cuffs exist, their use is also expensive. Further, the acquisition, storage, and handling of large numbers of cuffs is difficult and not cost effective. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a means for preventing blood-pressure cuffs from becoming contaminated and from spreading contamination in an uncomplicated and cost effective manner without employing relatively large numbers of disposable and/or non-disposable blood-pressure cuffs and without maintaining associations between particular patients and cuffs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,249 to Slaughterbeck suggests the use of replaceable protective sleeves for sphygmomanometer cuffs. A protective sleeve described in that patent is somewhat enveloped shaped, being closed at both ends but open at a side edge for receiving a blood-pressure cuff therein. A problem with the protective sleeve of this patent is that it does not have universal application, being useful only with particularly configured blood-pressure cuffs. Also, when a blood-pressure cuff is inserted in such a sleeve, attaching devices of the cuff, which hold it about a patient's appendage during use, are initially covered. Therefore, provision must be made for uncovering these attaching devices. Thus, the protective sleeve of that patient is provided with removable windows, which add expense to the protective sleeve. Further, when the attaching devices thereof are uncovered in this manner, they can become contaminated and can pass on such contamination. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a protective cover for a blood-pressure cuff which must not be custom formed to a particular blood-pressure cuff, which does not uncover portions of the cuff during use, and which is inexpensive to construct.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a protective cover for a blood-pressure cuff which does not affect the accuracy of a sphygmomanometer of which the cuff is part, which is not uncomfortable for a patient to use, which is not inconvenient or time consuming for medical personnel to use, but yet which provides a wide margin of security from contamination for both patients and medical personnel.